The GIFT -10th anniversary edition-
by Salina Van Roey
Summary: AU: Usagi experiences a birthday for the books when she's stuck at a celebrity event and meets a stranger who changes her life forever.
1. i ::

**Hello all!**

**This is an old fic of mine from 2010 which I decided to revive. If anyone is familiar with it, you might notice this version got a haircut and a new outfit-same story and essence but more polished IMO. If you want to spoil yourselves, you can find the original written under "Seiko Yua," however, I'll guarantee this edition is a better experience :)**

**While this fic is finished in only two chapters, please be on the lookout for part two (also two chapters) in which will act as a prequel and sequel to this story. But in the meantime, enjoy!**

* * *

**:: 2010 ::**

"Usagi! Happy birthday!"

The referenced Usagi beamed with excitement. "Thank you, Mina!"

The bubbly flaxen, formally known as Minako Aino, whose long hair was garnished with a red bow, grinned as she stepped onto the elevator next to her coworker. Her blue eyes took those moments to analyze the birthday girl's outfit—a simple black silk dress with a flared skirt to her mid-thighs which was strategically topped with a bright red blazer, and strappy gold heels three inches in height.

"I see we're in a transition outfit. It's sexy! You should dress like this every day!"

Usagi raised a brow, pulling self-consciously at her buttoned, business-appropriate jacket which covered her chest, and pulling down at her skirt in which she definitely shouldn't bend over.

"Are you kidding? I plan to hide from HR all day."

The doors completely closed and the elevating box began its upward journey.

"So I guess that means Mamoru has special plans for you tonight?" Minako continued. "Twenty-five is, after all, pretty deserving of some celebration. Just think: you've already lived through a whole quarter of a century."

"Don't worry, Mina, you're coming up _right _behind me." The blonde odango-head sassily thrust her hand on her hip.

With a dispirited sigh, Minako began wrapping a lock of her hair around her finger. "Forgive me. I had a biological wake-up call when I found Akio missing this morning. It hit me at that moment you're already five years deep in marriage while I can't even find a guy to stay over for one whole night. And you're only four months older than me."

Usagi cocked her head. "Akio? I thought his name was Akira?"

She shrugged. "Who knows?"

Usagi snorted before continuing, "Well to answer your initial question, Mamo-chan is going to take me to the restaurant where we had our rehearsal dinner. I've wanted to go back ever since then."

"Ooh, the place with _the _cosmos?" Minako's animated light blue eyes sparkled with excitement.

"Mina, please, I don't need the recall." As much as she tried to, Usagi could never forget the tear-inducing headache which came along with the hangover and doing everything in her power to get rid of it before having to walk down the aisle.

She guffawed before rhetorically asking, "What's there to recall?" before reaching into her purse for her cell phone to read an incoming email.

"_Anyway_, I'll have you know I'll be sticking to wine tonight. And Mamo-chan even bought tickets for Madame Butterfly, so it'll be a classy evening." Usagi shimmied her shoulders in enthusiasm while smiling to herself, allowing her mind to frolic in fantasy.

"Oh shit. Boobalicious has called an emergency meeting. We're supposed to be in the conference room ASAP." The red-bowed woman paid no attention to the rest of her friend's statement while her voice trailed off in distress.

Finally feeling the lagged vibration throughout her shoulder, Usagi reached into her own purse to verify through her own email account on her smartphone. She had received the same message, groaning in response.

"I swear if it's another one of her "who-stole-my-Tofutti?" meetings, I will take a safety pin to her boob."

"Violent, aren't we?" Minako elbowed Usagi while giggling.

She sighed and shook her head. "Y'know, when you're the editor-in-chief of a prominent magazine, you would think you would have some level of…" she paused in mid-sentence, struggling to find the right word.

"…Knowledge to keep your cup size in the first part of the alphabet?" Minako grinned widely behind her own shoulder.

Usagi immediately cackled. "So you believe Rei's total sociopathy is completely eclipsed by her ridiculous boob job?"

"Oh right, her name is Rei. No one's called her by her real name since we started and I thought I was losing my mind."

"It was an act of God that _I _even remembered it. Maybe I'm the one losing my mind."

"Seriously, though, the backaches that woman must get… like how does she jog?" Minako squinted her eyes, truly mystified and confused.

"Why jog when flying on a broom is just as good for cardio?"

The elevator finally came to a halt and the steel double-doors opened with the sound of a _ding_. Both of the blondes walked onto the fifty-first floor, stepping in unison.

"Should I finally stop hiding her Tofutti in the IT department's freezer every week?" Minako asked sarcastically.

"Nah, it's still funny."

The two women shuffled briskly through the pristine glass sliding doors of Stargaze magazine into utter office frenzy. Minako and Usagi watched in amusement at the lower-level assistants and interns scrambling to prepare the conference room for the emergency meeting; while a few balanced trays of water pitchers and glasses, others carried in Rei's demanded breakfast of egg whites on a whole-wheat English muffin, green tea, and fruit cup. The rest of the office workers were still at desks finishing up their prior businesses before attending another one of Rei's "urgent" gatherings and none were too excited about it—the last one included her complaint, and ultimate ban, of listening to music during work.

The odango-head and red-bowed women found a couple of the last remaining open seats around the conference table as everyone else situated themselves standing around the glass and windowed walls. Usagi, in the midst of scoping out the office to ensure HR hadn't yet made it over and seen her, was fortunate enough to witness an intern drop Rei's English muffin on the floor. With one movement, in less than two seconds (an office record), he picked it back up and positioned the breakfast sandwich back to its perfect look on the clear plastic plate. He gave it a few light blows from his mouth and flicks from his fingers to clear it of the floor's residue, before setting it neatly at the head of the table and finding his place back in the swarm. What impressed Usagi the most was that the young man had no shame and didn't even consider to look around for any witnesses. She covered her mouth to hide her maniacal chuckle.

"Is everyone here?" A voluptuous raven-haired woman glided into the conference room holding a single sheet of paper, undesiring of any verbal responses, really. Her violet eyes told the story of unsympathetic arrogance, and her attire exuded that of an image-conscious woman aware of the power of her curves. When the employees responded with silence or coughs and she made it to the end of the table, Rei Hino took it upon herself to begin with business.

"Earlier this morning, I received a memo from S.T.A.R. Management announcing that there is room for us to attend a celebrity fundraiser going on tonight starting at six PM. It is being held in Roppongi at the Search Bar, and one-hundred percent of your food and alcohol orders will go to the foundation as proceeds. Having such an invitation extended to all of us at Stargaze, you are _required _to be there. It's not very often when we are all asked to rub shoulders with A-list celebrities, so I do believe I should be met with no grievances."

Though popular with celebrities, the Search Bar held an interesting reputation. Everyone quietly murmured to themselves, ambivalent, but intrigued enough to not outwardly complain.

However, Usagi was too shocked to laugh at the sight of Rei taking a bite out of her egg white sandwich. No, not tonight…

With a full mouth, the editor-in-chief nodded toward someone with their hand up.

"What is the fundraiser for?"

She took another glance at her printed memo, and swallowed her masticated food, before answering. "It's for the fight against leukemia."

"Don't a lot of weird things happen there?" came a female voice from the middle of the crowd.

Rei rolled her eyes with a huff. "Don't waste my time with conspiracy bullshit."

"But it's true! I've been there! They have this chair that _no one _is allowed to sit in—"

"Well if you're so scared of chairs, I'd be glad to take yours from your desk. Any other questions?"

When she was met with silence yet again, she quickly moved to dismiss the crowd back to work. Though everyone else scattered to return to their desks, Usagi took this moment to dare question the mighty Captain Tatas, who was taking another moment to read over the printed memo, her chin nearly resting atop her chest. Tip-toeing her way to her boss, the odango-head cleared her throat to get her attention once she approached her.

"Um, Ms. Hino… could I talk to you?"

The stern ebony-headed woman stared down the blonde with an expectant look, telling her she should say something interesting in the next two seconds or she would be fired.

"Yes?"

"I, uh… I don't know if I can make it tonight. You see, it's my birthday today and… my husband and I have made dinner plans and… well… you see he's a doctor—a trauma surgeon actually—and uh, we… we've already made reservations and have tickets to an opera…" The odango-head stumbled nervously through laughter and hot cheeks.

Rei didn't hesitate to respond intimidatingly to the timid Usagi. "Ms, it is required that you come to tonight's event. I will not budge on that issue. It doesn't happen often, if at all, that we are sought out and invited to a celebrity party. We all need to contribute and provide a good image of Stargaze, and the more of us that show up, the better our chances are of being invited to something on this level again. You'll always have another birthday."

"Yes, I understand, but would they really notice the absence of little old me?" She was trying to play into Rei's superiority complex.

Her fierce lavender eyes penetrated pensively through Usagi's blue orbs. The odango-head could tell the narcissistic considerations were abound by her distant squinty stares and quick tapping of her long red fingernails on the table… Rei sighed, and then looked around the room and through the glass for anyone close by before turning to face her subordinate and lowering her voice.

"Fine, just stay there for at least an hour or so. Then you can sneak off… and I mean _sneak off_. Don't go telling all your gal pals I said you could leave." Rei had it in mind if this stupid blonde did run her mouth, she'd allow security to escort her out by the next business day.

Usagi sighed in relief. Even though it was not perfect, it was something. She decided not to push her luck.

"Thank you, thank you. I promise, not a word…"

* * *

"I still can't believe you got out of this. How were you able to do it?" Minako asked. She focused her attention on her reflection in a compact mirror as she applied some war paint touch-ups to her face. Both women were in the back of a cab on their way to the event.

"Eh, I just used her arrogance to my advantage. I doubt she even knows my name, despite my three years at the company. I'll help you get out too if you need to." Usagi unbuttoned her red blazer, revealing the plunging sweetheart neckline of her black designer dress.

"Are you kidding? Yaten Kou is going to be there. I've wanted to have his babies since I was sixteen. I'm staying there all night until I get a lock of his hair." The statement reminded Minako to tug her blouse down to show a little more cleavage.

"What, a picture and autograph too amateur for your fandom?" Usagi cocked a good-natured eyebrow.

"Usagi, you disappoint me." She shook her head. "_Anyone _can get those measly things anytime, anywhere. It's always to the next level with Minako Aino." She flashed a peace sign and winked.

"…Or to a jail cell for thirty days and a restraining order."

"Well, we all have to make sacrifices at some point in our lives." Her friend's sarcasm did not faze the vivacious blonde one bit as she applied gloss to her lips, approving her reflection in the mirror with a loud pop.

Usagi shook her head. Minako was all too perfect for this business.

Several minutes later, the two could make out their destination from even a couple of blocks away—a mass of photographers and reporters lined the red-carpeted entrance on both sides, spilling out onto the sidewalks and street, as many celebrity guests strutted their way down the path, taking their sweet time basking in the flashes of the cameras and questions of the quick interviews. Minako and Usagi had the cabbie stop a street early in order to allow him to avoid the traffic jam from Hollywood hell. After brief adjustments to breasts, hair accessories, and twisted clothing, both women made their way around to the side of the establishment in order to enter. The indoor crowd was just as loud and lively as outside, and they wondered how the rest of them still yet to come through were going to fit. Better get to the bar now.

Minako stuck her arm out through a couple of people and practically slammed her clutch purse on the bartop to claim her place in the queue. Her territory now marked, she wriggled herself in between the other bodies to lean on the polished marble counter.

"I'll get you this round, Usagi," she winked back toward the birthday girl before making strong eye contact with the bartender. "Hi, two glasses of Pinot grigio!"

"We have no wine."

"What?" Did she really hear that correctly? The crowd noise was arguably deafening.

"No wine," he flatly repeated. "I can get you some champagne."

"How can you have no wine?" She held up her right palm in bafflement. "You're a bar!"

"Late shipment. And we had another event last night which sucked us dry."

She shrugged dismissively with a huff. "Fine, champagne then."

"That'll be thirty dollars."

Minako and Usagi gagged as their eyes widened in shock, and the former shook her head in disbelief.

"Good God, with these prices, they should have enough to find the cure," she spoke as she reached for her wallet.

"Thank you, Mina… I'll be good for the rest of the night."

After receiving the standard-poured flutes of their champagne, which most likely only retailed at four dollars for the whole bottle (it sure tasted like it), the two separated. The red-bowed of the duo spotted her teenage idol crush across the room and couldn't pass up the opportunity, while Usagi mulled around to try to pass the time until she was allowed to leave. So far, it was the longest half-hour of her life. While she nursed her champagne and mingled with everyone and no one, she caught herself peeking at her watch every two seconds hoping that ten minutes had passed. At one point, she caught Minako throwing her head back in laughter with an unidentified silver-haired man—probably that Yoshi guy she was stalk-talking of in the cab. A few times Usagi had come upon semi-recognizable faces, such as an obscure music producer or manager, but no one she had too much interest in on this night.

And of course, it had to be the night of her birthday, when Mamoru promised a romantic time… finally. Becoming a trauma surgeon sounded dignified and lucrative at first, enough to the point Usagi didn't have to worry about checking price tags during shopping or having to work. He attained his job the same year they were married, and the double-dose of good news seemed too good to be true… and it was. For the first two years of marriage, she spent most of her time alone or brunching with other boring doctor wives; it was mostly an excuse to get drunk at eleven AM on a Tuesday because… well, why not? No one was there to stop her. In all honesty, she got to know her hairdresser more intimately than she did her significant other. It didn't take too much courage and rationale to find a busy job in order to pass the time without seeing Mamoru, putting that Communications minor to good use. She loved her husband in all the ways possible, but still found herself lonely and grasping for any free time she could get with him. Well, only thirty more minutes of this and then freedom—

"Hey, Odango…"

Usagi's thoughts were interrupted by a firm grasp on her shoulder and turned to see her boss, Rei. Inwardly she was rolling her eyes—she had not been officially called that name since junior high and, of course, leave it to her of all people to resurrect the title. She swore "Odango" was a conspiracy between all her past and present enemies. Even Mamoru addressed her as such when they first began dating.

She would consider a change of hairstyle after this.

"…do you still need to leave?" Rei finished.

"Uh, yeah…" Usagi answered with blue eyes wide in pleasant confusion and eagerness. "Why?"

"Yeah," the dark-haired boss looked around the bar as if she were trying to evade someone or hide, "well, _I _need to leave and I remember you had to as well. We can share a cab."

Usagi blinked. "You need to leave? Why?"

"_Why_ do you keep asking why?" Rei snarled as anger swept her gaze. "That doesn't matter. Do you want to leave or not?"

The scared blonde then nodded vigorously, vowing to shut up for all of eternity if she had to; for this moment in time, Rei was a saint. With one huge gulp, her half-full flute of cheap champagne flowed effortlessly down her throat. She set the empty glass on a nearby table full of people.

The two women pushed lightly through the crowd, careful as to not upset any celebrities and have Stargaze blacklisted. Rei managed to emerge from the buzzing horde trouble-free and made her way down a small hallway and out a side door which opened to the sidewalk, not even considerate enough to keep it open for her blonde subordinate; the slamming sound of its closing was lost within the bar's noise. Usagi ended up lagging behind, using elbows and shoulders more assertively to make her seemingly-more difficult way through the crowd.

Once she birthed from the tight womb of the throng and faced the beacon that was the exit at the end of the hall, she stepped quickly. However, she shifted her position to walk sideways in order to avoid an incoming black-haired man striding toward her, assumingly coming from outside where she needed to go. As the odango-head brushed passed him and leaned her body forward to reach for the metal push bar of the closed door, she felt a sudden sensation of wetness all over her pale bust, and a distinct smell of alcohol—Scotch, to be exact… Mamoru's favorite. She also felt the sticky liquid land on her exposed feet and drip its way underneath the straps of her heeled sandals.

"Holy shit, I am so sorry. Are you okay?" The man asked in horror, holding his hand up apologetically and concerned. Usagi was still faced toward the door, her back to him.

Dear God, was that drink ever cold. She swore a couple of ice cubes fell down her cleavage. The moment happened fast enough to submit her to complete speechlessness, and all she could do was look down herself while breathing heavily in efforts to handle the abrupt chill which seized her whole body.

Suddenly, the exit door opened, revealing an annoyed Rei and a yellow cab waiting near the curb.

"Odango, what are you doing? Let's go!" She demanded.

"Um, Rei, I'm sorry. I… I have a bit of a problem. I had kind of an accident…" Usagi began to wipe off some of the liquid from her chest.

Her boss raised her lip and dark eyebrow in impatient bewilderment, giving her body a brief once-over. "What?"

"Yeah… I'm sorry. I need to go to the restroom. I'll be right out. Could you please wait for two minutes?"

She wasted no time. Rolling her violet eyes, Rei slammed the door closed in the blonde's face.

Guess that's a no. Usagi growled in annoyance as she stared at the door as if it played a part in her abandonment.

"Shit!" she yelled, stomping her squishy sole on the concrete floor.

"Miss, I sincerely apologize. I'm already on my second so my reflexes are quite slow." The man tried to make light of the situation by chuckling and handing her a handkerchief.

Oh… he was still here. Usagi turned around and accepted the cloth tissue by basically snatching it out of his hand.

"You practically hurled it on me," she accused and began wiping off her neck and chest before working on her dress. Was this guy drinking a double or what? It appeared like every part of her body wasn't spared from the spill. She swore she barely grazed him.

"That's… not looking like it's gonna come out."

The hell was this guy about? Did he think he was funny? That his stupid obvious observations were going to be enough for her to forgive him? Oh haha, that's great, she didn't like this dress _at all _anyway! This day couldn't have gotten any worse—not only was she forced into this party, but she was abandoned and spilled on within the same minute. Happy fucking birthday to her.

"You think? I was hoping it was just disappearing ink in your glass," she snapped.

His eyes blinked offendedly. "Hey, calm down, Odango. It's not the end of the world."

Oh no he did NOT. "Excuse me, my name is not Odango!" Her teeth didn't even unclench.

"Could have fooled me. Isn't that what Tits Mcgee called you?" he held up a thumb to gesture toward the closed door.

"Get away from me!" Usagi flung the damp handkerchief back at the stranger, hitting him square in the chest before she stamped away to leave him behind with his sarcastic statements. Once again, she pushed through the A-list crowd, this time not taking any prima donna tendencies into consideration and ignored a few remarks; by the time they were even made, she was already halfway across the room. She approached the bar to request some club soda before taking it to the restroom.

Ten minutes into scrubbing at her dress and some other task had to come up: her phone began ringing. Usagi was somewhat calmed by reading her husband's name on the caller ID.

"Oi, Mamo-chan," she sighed with a smile.

"Hey, Usa-ko, are you still at the party?"

Oh shit, what time was it? She jerked her left arm up for her blazer sleeve to gather at her elbow before bending it in order to read her watch. Ah, seven forty-five, there was still time.

"Yes, I'm still here. Are you about to leave?"

She heard him sigh heavily and her ears perked, knowing what that meant…

"Usa-ko, I can't make it."

…And she lost it. Her voice rose in anger. "What? Why not?" She knew why, though.

"There's been a horrible accident just now and these people are in critical condition. They haven't come in yet but… I need to be there. I'm sorry, Usako. I'm so sorry…"

She ran her hand through her bangs, trying her hardest to keep from ripping them out. Of course, this happened… why did she expect this night to be so special? It was only her goddamned birthday.

"Alright… I don't want to keep you." And with that, Usagi hung up her phone without any 'goodbye' or 'I love you' to her husband of five years. Even though she would feel twice as terrible if she were to pull him away from saving lives, it was all she could do to keep from screaming. And no matter what, she was not allowed to be selfish.

So she cried. She covered her face in a failed attempt to control her sobs and tears but it seemed to only make her blubbering worse. Not to mention the acoustics of the weirdly empty restroom amplified her whimpers as they echoed sharply through the metal vents. She missed her husband dearly, and thoughts of separation or divorce had crossed her mind recently. Not because of her lack of love for him, but mainly for her lack of strength to be with him—to handle sharing a husband with his patients. He was a doctor, this is what doctors do, it wasn't any different for the other MD wives of the practice. However, they seemed to have found the secret to carry on happily on their own. Usagi was slow to learn the trick of becoming immersed and distracted with extracurricular hobbies and jobs, and maybe a couple of kids. Still, even with full-time employment, which required after-hour parties and projects, Usagi still felt that emptiness. She was still yet to figure out how to fill that void.

But she knew of one immediate answer: she heard many times from Minako that alcohol is only a temporary solution if you stop. Maybe another drink or five would cure her blues if only for the night. With one last sniffle, she dried her face of the fallen tears and gave herself one last look in the mirror, straightening her splattered blazer. The stranger was right, the stains were not going to come out. She'll just have to wear them with pride.

And on her way out to beeline it for the bar, ready to drop ninety dollars as fast as she could, her journey was again thwarted by that Scotch-drinking stranger standing right outside the restroom door. He held a full glass of white wine in his left hand, while the other held the familiar-scented brown liquid.

"Are you doing okay?" Sarcasm had turned into sincerity.

Even if it was really only a few seconds, Usagi took the time to stare at him, mainly because of his striking resemblance to her husband, though he was easily younger than Mamoru. Despite a physical similarity, there was a difference and something about him which felt unearthly. His messy black bangs fell over pools of dark blue which clearly had the power to hypnotize any woman into his arms or bed. In height, he had a few inches over the odango-head, and it was accented well with dark, sleek slacks and a fitted black button-up shirt that perfectly defined his lean frame. Literally, she shook her head to disrupt her staring, hoping he didn't notice.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Sorry, I'm not having a good night."

"I can tell… I bought you a drink." He indicated at the white wine with his eyes.

She shook her head with a grateful chuckle. "No, really it's okay. You don't have to do anything. I'm sorry I was so rude back there."

"So what else can I do to make it up to you?" He had the most perfectly stunning grin.

Sighing, she looked around as if to ensure no one was watching her. But hell, it was all to be innocent anyway… all she really desired was conversation and company.

"Okay. One drink," She complied. It was for charity, was it not?

However, the black-haired man took it upon himself to have the first sip of the fermented grape juice before extending it toward Usagi. Her face fell in pure appalment.

"Uh… did _you _want the wine, or…?"

"Just my way of letting you know it's safe," he assured. "Lots of weird things happen here."

Her face rose up in the appreciation of how bizarrely considerate that action was. She was ready to just take this open drink from a literal stranger. Glad someone was looking out for her… she certainly had a mindless propensity for herself at the moment from such a consistent string of bad luck.

"Thank you." After accepting the filled stemware, Usagi felt a sudden chill throughout her body and crossed her arms for warmth. Probably from an overlooked ice cube still in her dress… and also the wine seemed cooled to the perfect temperature. But thinking of the wine's coldness enabled her to realize something else was peculiar.

"I thought the bar was out of wine," she observed as she took a sip. Ah yes, this was the good stuff.

"That's just what they tell the commoners," he winked, putting his fresh glass of Scotch on the rocks to his lips. "I'm actually kind of special."

"Oh really? So like, they pay you to spill drinks on people?" The odango-head was locked and loaded.

"As often as you run into them," he served it right back with a gleam in his dark blues.

"Run into them? I barely even touched you," Usagi playfully defended.

He cocked a dark eyebrow. "Well, I gotta say it looks better on you than it did in the glass."

"Yeah, well, Dolce thanks you," the blonde waved her hand in front of her blemished skirt.

"Not Gabbana?"

"Nah, he's a thankless dick."

"It's always the good art that is underappreciated."

"_Art_?" she questioned in humored disbelief.

"Of course!" He held out his palm to gesture at her stain patterns. "It's emotional and… edgy."

"And, y'know, annoying and… sticky," she bobbed her head in mocking agreement.

"What can I say? Art is subjective."

"So what do you call this, 'I'm going to ruin this chick's night?'"

He took a step back, playfully analyzing the "artwork" upon the black silk, his mouth turned and pursed in thought.

"Maybe more like… 'I'm desperate for an excuse to talk to this chick.'"

Her glare was now a grin. "Do you do this all the time to pick up women?"

The man was in the midst of sipping on his drink before her inquiry made him choke. He coughed a few times and wiped his chin of the dribbling alcohol, his eyes watering. "What?"

"Spill on them and then buy them drinks in order to blatantly hit on them?"

He bit his lip devilishly. "What makes you think I'm picking you up?"

Usagi felt the burn, the scorch turning her cheeks red. "Uh… um, I mean… just… kidding..."

"Well, you do look like my type. But I'd have to be blind to miss that big, shiny rock." With the hand holding his glass, the man pointed toward Usagi's wedding ring. "Lemme guess, a lawyer?"

She straightened her fingers and looked down at them as if to verify the jeweled presence. Still blushing, Usagi nodded.

"Close, he's a doctor."

"So what's a doctor's wife doing at a celebrity event?"

The blonde sighed. "This doctor's wife works for Stargaze. And I came here unwillingly if you can believe it."

"I can. This thing is too stuffy for my tastes." He made a sour face to accompany his disdained opinion.

"Well then what's a _Scotch-drinking klutz _doing here?" Usagi giggled and sipped her wine.

"So you don't know who I am?" The man cocked his head in confusion, nearly offended.

The odango-head shifted her eyes and shrugged apologetically. "Am I supposed to?"

Dejected, his demeanor calmed as he returned the shrug and went for another sip of Scotch. "For working at a magazine, you're sure rusty on your celebrities."

"I know the ones that matter," Usagi smirked.

"Oh, God!" He humorously grabbed at his chest, laughing. "That hurt. That really hurt deep down, Odango."

"Excuse you! But I told you not to call me that." While a tad irked, she held a playfulness to her voice.

"Why not? I'm a hell of a lot nicer than Big Boobs Magoo."

"C'mon, _Satan's _nicer than her!"

"Is she that bad?"

"Did you not just see her completely abandon me back there as I was dripping in your Scotch?" The blonde questioned, trying to convince the stranger. "I was supposed to go meet my husband."

"Well, it just wasn't meant to be…" He calmly replied.

The odango-head blinked in curiosity before she opened her mouth to speak. But nothing would come out as she was abruptly cut off from being bumped by a line of people, her purse nearly falling off her shoulder. A bit of her wine spilled over the cusp of her glass, but luckily Usagi's feet were spared, feeling no wetness this time. She had to take a step closer toward the black-haired man in order to make room for the moving group.

"It's getting more crowded." He suddenly leaned forward to whisper in her ear while she was distracted in her irritation. "Do you want to go somewhere else?"

A sudden coldness raced down from the blonde's ear through her neck from his murmuring, only for it to subsequently spread all over her body. Her heartbeat quickened and she still managed to start sweating from the pleasurable tingles. She couldn't help it—her husband had canceled on her for the millionth time, and the only attention she was receiving was from this handsome stranger. Doubt, confusion, and anger consumed her mind for the majority of the day, and this man had something about him which calmed her down. She felt safe around him.

Breaking out of her reverie, Usagi turned to her left after feeling a hand on her shoulder. She saw a familiar face.

"Usagi, why are you still here? I thought you were supposed to have left by now," Minako was surprised and perplexed.

"Oh, uh, Mamo-chan had an emergency at the hospital."

The flaxen gasped. "I'm so sorry, Usagi. I can't believe he had to cancel again." She pouted in sympathy before immediately perking up. "Well, Yaten is taking me to the VIP room. Come with me!"

The odango-head smiled. "No, that's okay. I'm actually talking to someone—" Usagi turned her head to face the blue-eyed stranger, only to discover he disappeared.

Minako looked around the bar and then back at her friend. "Who?"

Furrowing her brow, Usagi kept looking all over the crowd for her temporary knight in shining armor.

"He was just here…" She had to silently admit to herself she was disappointed to find him gone, as well as a little embarrassed.

"_He_?" Minako's golden brow raised in suspicion and mischievousness.

Realizing her slip of the tongue, Usagi's cheeks turned rosy and she shook her head in denial. "No! Not like that. We're just talking!"

"As long as you're having a good time," Minako winked and gave her friend's shoulder a squeeze in solidarity. "So are you coming with me?"

The birthday girl sighed and shook her head, being more in the mood for a tame conversation and not have to drunkenly network with potential perverts in power.

"Not right now, I'll catch you later."

"Well, I'm sorry again about Mamoru. Text me and I can let you in the room." She waved as she walked away.

Usagi returned the wave and sighed in her loneliness. In a futile attempt, she stood on her tiptoes to once again look for her raven-haired acquaintance, but all the tops of the heads looked the same. Though their conversation was lighthearted, it was nice to have someone help her forget her bad night, if only for a little bit. His smile was contagious, and the spark in his eyes lead hers in a flirtatious dance within a ballroom of bliss. Just like that of Mamoru's when she and him first starting dating…

Oh, Mamoru. As bad as she felt, she almost forgot about her frustration with him because of the stranger. And now suddenly thinking about her busy husband made her think of the nonexistent goodbye from their phone call. Maybe she overreacted… but is wanting to spend _one _romantic night together really too much to ask? Her birthday only came once a year… Just thinking about all the events almost brought tears to Usagi's eyes. Maybe she should have stayed on a few seconds longer to hear him say, "I love you.'' She still didn't want to understand the demands of his job after five years of fighting it.

Sighing, she took her phone out and stared into the wallpaper display that was of them at the beach last year. The brightness of the screen lit up her desperate and gloomy face as she stared into the marital happiness that was the picture. It reminded her that even though they were not together often, when they were, it was truly joyous.

Usagi's blue eyes wandered all over the room until her focus landed on a single door placed in the middle of the wall. Letters were painted on it in metallic silver which spelled out, "ROOF ACCESS."

* * *

"Hey, Mamo-chan. I just called to tell you that… I hope everything's going okay at the hospital and… that I'm sorry for hanging up on you. I miss you. I was really looking forward to tonight and when I found out that it wouldn't happen, I got upset and took it out on you. But, I really only called to tell you that I'm sorry and I hope we can reschedule and try again. I'll see you at home… I love you, Mamo-chan."

Slowly, Usagi lowered her cell phone to press the end call button after she finished leaving a voicemail. She knew that Mamoru was not one to ever get completely livid, but leaving the message made her feel better about herself. With one huge swig, she let the last bit of wine spill down her throat without so much as feeling its bite. The bright lights lit up the city as if it was manmade daytime and it echoed with the sound of car horns and people. Her eyes closed slowly as a warm wind blew against her body and she sniffed the summer air filled with the scent of the metropolis and fireworks.

"There you are."

The blonde whipped her head around, delightfully surprised to see her Scotch-drinking acquaintance. Her face beamed.

"Hey! Where did you go? You just disappeared on me!"

"I'm sorry," he said smiling, "I figured you and your friend would want to talk privately."

Usagi rolled her eyes with a scoff. "Please. She sniffed out some idol she's been fantasizing about ever since she figured out boys really didn't have cooties. I won't be seeing her for a while."

"Good." Showing off that smirk of his, he extended his hand with another full glass of white wine. "Refill?"

"Read my mind." There was no fighting his offer this time, and a second trust sip was unnecessary. Usagi walked over to set down her empty glass on the ground by the door while accepting the full one. She took an immediate gulp as they both stood still to share a moment of silence. The man took up the torch to break it.

"That was quite a message you left. Is everything okay?"

Usagi grinned despondently and looked down into her glass. "You heard?"

"I'm sorry," he shook his head, "That was rude of me—"

"No, it's fine. It'll be nice to talk about it." She looked up to the dark-haired man to lock eyes with him. His gaze told her to continue and she fell right into it.

"It's just hard, you know? Being a doctor's wife, the emergency calls are just as part of my life as they are part of his. It's not often when we get to have a night together, and with tonight being my birthday, I thought it would be special enough for me to luck out and spend time with him." She laughed to herself. "But the gods aren't having it."

He showed a genuine smile. "Happy birthday."

"Thanks," she returned the gaze.

"I'm sorry. It must be hard. But it sounds like you love him very much and I know he undoubtedly feels the same way. Don't give up… you'll always have another birthday."

Usagi let out a sardonic snort. "Have you ever been married?"

"No, but I've been in a long-term relationship before."

"You've _been _in one? So what happened? Lemme guess: she was a lawyer?" Usagi winked.

It was his turn to look into his glass… and to be serious. "She died about four years ago."

Out of all the other previous stupid things she's said before in life, this moment took the top shit-feeling trophy. Her voice caught in her throat as her mortification choked her of words and even breath.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to… I'm so sorry!"

"It's fine. You didn't know, Odango." The man justified in her defense, his mood remaining heartfelt.

Usagi coughed and looked down to hide her embarrassment. "I'm sorry about… her." The summer breeze turned surprisingly chilly.

"Don't worry. It'll be nice to talk about it."

The blonde took a huge gulp of her wine to drink down her rapid heartbeat and humiliation. There he goes making jokes in the midst of seriousness. She licked her lips of the remaining wine taste. "If you don't mind my asking, how did she—"

"Hit and run," he interrupted, saving her from the awkwardness of finishing her question. "We were… _here_, in fact. I guess we weren't paying attention and neither was the driver, I don't know. But I barely blinked when it happened." He swished his Scotch, the melting ice cubes clinking loudly against the glass and each other, and stared straight into Usagi's eyes. "She died in my arms before the paramedics could get there."

The air hung heavy with depression. "That's so horrible," was all Usagi could say with the onset of sympathetic tears.

The dark-haired man nodded in agreement. "It is. No one should ever have to go through that. No person should ever have to watch their lover die like that. I wouldn't wish that upon anyone. It changed my life."

Breaking her focus from the man, Usagi's head turned toward the door to the stairs opening with an ear-piercing crank and slamming loudly against the wall. In the entryway stood Minako holding a red fruity drink adorned with a single pineapple slice on the rim and plastic sword-punctured cherries. She was out of breath and looking distressed.

"There you are, Usagi!"

{ i.l.y.a }


	2. ii::

"There you are, Usagi!" Minako yelled from the other side of the threshold with a slight slur to her speech. "What are you doing up here?"

Usagi furrowed her brow with a confused side-smile. "What's going on?"

"Have you seen Rei anywhere? It just dawned on us that she's not here and she's not answering her phone."

Her smile fell. "Enlighten me as to why people are trying so hard to look for her?"

"She _ does _ approve my time, unfortunately." Minako rolled her eyes and put her thumb hard at work on her cell phone screen, checking for any updates. "I can't believe that she was such a bitch about coming to this party and then peaces out before it's over. Hippo-crite!"

"I saw her leave a while ago. I don't know where, though."

"Eh, well, whatever. Someone else will find her I'm sure. Do you want to come down and get a drink?"

"Oh, no, I'm okay. Just getting some air."

"Okay. I'm gonna go back down and find Yaten. I saw Arisu from Accounting crawling up his ass earlier. If anyone is getting an interview out of him, it's gonna be me!" Minako growled before grabbing for the shrieking metal door to slam it closed.

Usagi turned back toward the stranger. Luckily, he was still standing there this time.

"Whoever that guy is, he better run." Usagi looked at the man to see him quietly snicker.

"Yeah, he hates giving interviews."

"You know that guy?"

He nodded lightly during a sip of Scotch, sucking and licking his upper lip once he was finished to ingest every last drop. "You could say that."

Usagi gulped to calm herself from watching such a sensuous motion from his tongue. The responding bodily sensations shedding light on the tempting situation she was in; each subsequent discussion with this mystery man seemed to tip her more toward the side of hanging out longer than what was appropriate. He provided an abundance of charm, sympathy, and attentiveness during a time of relative deprivation for the blonde, and she found herself enjoying his company probably too much. Though the glare from her diamond ring briefly caught her eye to remind her she had someone else capable of providing such things to which to go home. And replaced her wristwatch in telling her it's time to shut it down.

"You okay?" He noticed the blonde had drifted into a deep state of statued pensiveness as she held the wine glass to her lips.

"Yes!" She assured. She took another huge swallow of her wine and then inspected the stemware. "I can't believe I'm not feeling anything. Usually, three is my magic number to feeling tipsy."

"Is that a good thing?"

"Probably not and it's just my luck that tonight's the night I can't get drunk. It's a sign."

"A sign for what?"

"That I'm meant to remember tonight," Usagi giggled. "But really, I think I might turn in." She told herself if he protested in the slightest, she would stay. Inwardly, she begged for it…

He smiled tenderly and nodded. "Let me walk you out."

Damn.

Turning on his heel, it revealed to the blonde a long dark ponytail hanging flatly against his back. Had it not been for the city lights from nearby buildings, it would have been lost within the blackness of his shirt. He put his hand on the handle of the door to turn it down for it not to budge. He gave a few more tries with no success.

"It's locked." The man observed with a tinge of alarm to his voice.

Directly behind him, Usagi's eyes were wide with horror. Her bad luck struck again. "What're we gonna do?"

"There's a fire escape over there," he faced the blonde while pointing in the direction behind her. "We can get down that way."

Not too much of a fan of the idea, but realizing she had no other choice in the matter, Usagi followed the black-haired stranger's suggestion down the dark painted steel ladder. She went as fast as her sandaled heels and would allow, forcing the man to keep a slow pace from above her. It was an understatement to assume she was simply relieved when she made it to solid ground in one piece. They began to stroll slowly toward the busy main street, passing a large metal garbage bin full of the night's trash bags.

So now it was to be over. She would go home, back to her lonely life and marriage of moments. As taboo as it looked to be spending time with a man other than her husband, she felt both contented and saddened that she prematurely ended their night. But before she would go, she had to know one thing.

"So, throughout this whole night of conversation and Scotch stains, I never really thought to ask your name."

The stranger smirked. "It's Seiya…"

"Seiya?"

"…Kou."

The blonde looked up in thought. "Kou, Kou… where have I heard that?"

Seiya grinned before reminding, "As in Yaten Kou."

"What? You're related?" She randomly became excited.

"You could say that. And yours?"

"Usagi Chiba."

"Usagi," he repeated before looking up in contemplation. "No, I still prefer Odango."

Usagi playfully growled. "You're lucky you're a celebrity or I would be tearing that face up." Soon after the empty threat, an imaginary light bulb flickered on over her head before she immediately began digging in her purse. Her distraction in rifling through the bottomless pit caused her to stop in the isolated alleyway a few steps before reaching the main sidewalk.

"Everything okay?" Seiya looked curiously at her, also halting his saunter.

A few seconds later, Usagi produced a pen and notepad. "I must have your autograph, Mr. Kou," She beamed.

He responded by throwing his head back in laughter. "Why would you want an autograph from a has-been?"

The odango-head returned the laugh, blushing profusely. "It's my birthday, so no questions!"

Seiya smirked mischievously and reached out slowly for Usagi's pen and pad. As he grabbed for them out of her hands, the blonde felt an intense body shiver yet again. She was unable to hide this one.

"Oh my, I'm sorry. I've been unusually cold tonight." She nervously smiled, stepping back against the brick wall to stay out of the path of the wind, and wrapping her blazer closed beneath her folded arms.

"You should warm up soon." Seiya murmured while scribbling on the mini notebook. As he took several moments to finish, he stopped to look at the blonde for a brief moment with sad and serious eyes. He took a step closer to her and leaned in, supporting himself on the brick wall of the Search Bar with both arms on each side of Usagi's shoulders, still holding onto the pad and paper. She immediately stiffened, hugging herself tightly with a vice grip on the material of blazer. She held her breath as her heart tried to beat violently out of her chest once she felt his whisper close to her left ear.

"It was nice to know you, Odango. I'll never forget you."

Seiya pulled his head away slightly to lock them in an intense, intimate gaze while Usagi processed what he said. She felt both excited, and yet, guilty for the events of the whole of the night. This was a bad time for good decisions or rather a good time for bad decisions… What did he want? What did _she _want? His eyes were sending signals she couldn't quite pinpoint, emanating emotions of both friendly concern and amorous passion. She bit into her lips in eager apprehension as her mind spiraled into chaos, ready to welcome whatever this man wanted to do—illicit or innocent.

However, the only move he made was pushing himself off the wall to drop her pen and pad back in her open purse and stepping back, returning the comfortable space in between them. She cleared her throat nervously and took an interest in the ground. Yes, distance, this is good, this is _right_. As blank as her mind was, what she had to respond with had to now come from the brain.

"Me too, Seiya… thank you."

Seiya's dark blue eyes flashed with satisfaction and then looked toward the street. "You better go. Cabs are waiting and I wouldn't want someone to steal another one from you."

Usagi smiled and followed his gaze to an awaiting cab. "Yeah…" She began her journey out of the alley past the celebrity and toward the yellow stationary vehicle. After opening the back door, she turned around to finish their parting. Seiya had followed her closely.

"Bye, Seiya," Usagi whispered. It was barely audible. She felt sad to have to leave him. She felt she made such a connection with him, that she would want to see him again… And she was wondering if he felt the same way. But Mamoru was also on her mind, and she needed to go home for him. She shouldn't be worrying about anything else. For the last time that night, she hugged herself tightly for warmth.

"Bye, Odango." Seiya winked.

Immediately after the blonde stepped and sat in the car, Seiya closed the door shut and the driver was quickly on his way.

"The wind's strong tonight," The driver observed.

"You're telling me," Usagi responded before giving him her destination address. After quickly reminiscing over the evening in her mind, she took out her travel-sized notepad from her purse to stare at the signature of Seiya Kou. Along with his autograph, he had also left a phone number.

Seiya continued to stand on the sidewalk, watching the cab drive further down the lively street. Once he lost sight of the car beyond the multitude of other vehicles, he turned on his heel to stroll back inside toward the Search Bar. Front entrances were too obvious for him, so toward the alleyway he went. He smiled as he reflected on the fresh memory of her; he hadn't felt such flutterings in years.

However, suddenly the back door slammed opened against the brick exterior to reveal a fatigued male kitchen employee dragging a full bag of trash behind him, intending on hurling it on top of the full garbage bin which sat against the side of the building to his right. The unexpected action stopped Seiya dead in his tracks. Though, he still managed to catch the worker's eye, who also paused in his actions once taking notice of the celebrity. Both men were locked in a brief staring match, the employee white in the face.

* * *

She curled up tightly on one end of the love seat with a blanket draped over her shoulders, in an oversized t-shirt and cotton running shorts. Lazily, Usagi satisfied her Saturday morning guilty pleasure of the first half-hour of a made-for-TV movie until she heard a loud rapping at her front door. The odango-head immediately strode toward her apartment's entrance to welcome her visitor.

"Hey…" Minako was slumped over, holding herself up on both sides of the threshold of the door. She was dressed in her pink designer sweatsuit and wore bug-eyed sunglasses to cover the dark circles under her eyes and shield them from the light. Her red bow, which was usually perfectly starched, was looking a little limp.

"Aren't we a ball of sunshine this morning," Usagi said mockingly.

"Save it. Where do you hide your Alka-Seltzer?" Minako was not having any of Usagi's comments and pushed past her to walk into the kitchen. Tossing her tiny purse and sunglasses on the counter of the island, she opened the designated medicine cabinet to reveal the shelves filled from back to front with the antacid.

"Wow, you've packed enough for the apocalypse."

Usagi followed her friend to the kitchen and sat at the island bar. She shrugged. "Mamo-chan has a weak stomach."

The hungover blonde grabbed for an empty glass within another cabinet and filled it with tap water before dropping the two white tablets in the liquid. They immediately began dissolving into a fizzy reaction. After placing the glass on the counter, she leaned over it and yowled in misery.

"Are you sure you wanna still do brunch?" asked Usagi, concerned for her friend's state.

"Just give me an hour."

"Ooh-kayyy…" she wasn't so convinced and had a feeling they'll be ordering takeout instead. "So, did anyone end up finding Rei?"

Minako cocked her head, the question jogging her memory of last night's hunt for the boss.

"Actually, I haven't heard anything," she responded as she reached for her purse to pull out her cell phone and check her emails and texts. She shook her head after a couple of refreshes turned up no new information. "Yeah, nothing."

Usagi shrugged. "Well, wherever she went, she was sure in a hurry."

"Yeah, you did say you saw her leave. Did she say anything?"

"Not at all. It was weird—she came up to me and asked me to leave with her. Didn't say why or where, just that she knew I had to leave and we could share a cab. And as I'm following her out, I bumped into this guy and his Scotch spilled all over me." She floated her hands over her neck, chest, and torso to motion at the amount of coverage. "I told her I had to go clean myself up, but she took off in the cab without me and left me behind."

"Oh my God, he spilled on you? Were you able to clean it off?"

"Are you kidding? That dress is ruined. I was so pissed," Usagi said with a smile. In hindsight, the event was quite comedic. "But he was very nice about it and bought me a couple of drinks."

Minako nodded, comprehending Usagi's statement, however, inwardly questioning her own reality from last night. Usagi's outfit, as she remembers, looked as clean as it was when they went to work. But it was dark in the bar, perhaps rendering the stains easily overlooked. Time to move on to more important matters.

"So was it the same guy you were talking to?" Minako managed to perk up in her lethargic state once she connected the dots.

"Yeah, that was him!"

"Tell me. Everything." She lowered her voice scandalously. The considerations for Rei's whereabouts were quickly rendered moot.

"Oh, well…" Usagi put fingers to her mouth to weakly confine her giggles as she let herself blush.

"_Oh, well, hehehe_… Spill!" Minako imitated the odango-head. "Was he cute?"

"Yes… _ so _cute," Usagi twisted her face and writhed her body in figurative agony, reminded of the unfairness in life—every other skeaze tries to flirt when single, but the good ones only seem to flock when they see a ring. "Super cute, but I mean, we just talked. Nothing really juicy to report on." Minako didn't need to know too much more, other than the truth.

"Did you get his name?"

She looked up in painful thought. "Um… it was…. Sei… Seiko… Seita? Oh God, I'm such a terrible person." Her track record with names wasn't exactly stellar with anyone, really. "I don't know, but he was some kind of celebrity. He's related to that Yahei guy you were all over."

Minako was about to take the first sip of her settled Alka-Seltzer, though she paused to process her friend's reply, staring at her skeptically.

"Seiya?"

Usagi snapped her fingers in enthusiasm, pointing at Minako. "Yes! That's his name! Seiya Kou! Have you heard of him?"

The red-bowed woman was now intrigued, keeping her behavior calm for reasons other than her hangover woes. Her eyes shifted as she slowly nodded and resumed to sip her fizzy water. Though, Usagi was ignorant of her silent suspicions.

"Yeah, for sure. Real… really popular guy, actually."

"Ugh, really? I had no idea who he was. I felt kind of bad…" her voice trailed off. "But he had a good sense of humor about it, thankfully. He seemed really down-to-earth."

"Good… good… uh, what did you both talk about?" Minako squinted in aching curiosity.

"I mean, I don't really remember, just random things. I only had a couple of glasses of wine but it seems like such a blur."

Minako then widened her eyes in fascination. "He was able to get you wine?"

Usagi shrugged. "Yeah. I guess because he was a celebrity, he like, had access to their secret stock. It was some pretty good stuff."

"Interesting. I mean, the place was full of celebrities and no one else had any wine."

More shrugging. "Maybe… he… knew the owner?"

"Very true, actually. Taiki Kou, who is his cousin and was in the same band as him, owns Search Bar. So he definitely does know the owner." Minako nodded borderline mockingly.

Usagi continued on with a wink, "I'm surprised you weren't jumping all over him."

Cue a head cock. "I saw him?"

"Yeah, well, he went off when you ran into me in the bar. But when you came up to the roof he was there with me."

For a moment, Minako was paralyzed with perplexity. Her mouth hung ajar before she could think of words to say. Okay, so she was playing along with this story trying to get as much information as she could out of Usagi, but now it had taken a very weird turn.

"What's wrong, Mina?"

"Sorry… I just… when would I have seen him?"

"On the roof when you were asking about Rei. He was right there standing in front of you."

"So… he was there… on the roof… with you?"

"Yes!"

She scratched her head, questioning her sanity. "_Where _ on the roof?"

"Right in front of us! Mina, were you that drunk?" The odango-head began to get irritated.

"No! I mean… I don't think so," she defended. "I remember the whole conversation with you up there. I never saw him."

"Well, maybe the alcohol and the whole Rei thing gave you like, tunnel vision?" Usagi rationalized. "He was wearing all black so maybe he sort of blended in with the night…"

This debate of 'she said, she saw' was going nowhere. Best to move on. "Okay, whatever, so… you both went on the roof, drank some wine, and then you went home?"

"Yeah pretty much. He gave me his autograph!" As the memory came to mind, Usagi pushed off her stool to run over to her purse in a chair by the front door and retrieve her notepad. With as much enthusiasm as the journey there, the journey back to the kitchen included another pep in the odango-head's step. She even managed to multitask and flip through to the right page in the pad before handing it to the tired Minako. Once she was presented with the signature, she chuffed at the sight of the phone number and shook her head. This guy was a piece of work.

"Um," Minako took a deep breath in, pinching the bridge of her nose, before slapping the pad down on the marble top. "Okay, I'm sorry, I can't keep this up…"

Usagi looked at her friend in bewilderment, standing at the end of the island. "Keep what up?"

The hungover woman moved her hand to rub her temple and aid in her attempt in letting her down easy. And to mentally prepare herself. This was going to take some strength.

"Usagi, I'm sorry to tell you this. And I'm sorry I didn't say anything sooner… because I honestly thought you knew what you were talking about, but… you don't."

"What?" The odango-head scrunched her face.

"The guy you met last night was not Seiya. There is no way in hell, heaven, or Earth it was him."

"What are you talking about?" She began to feel somewhat insulted and crossed her arms in response. Was it so hard to believe a celebrity wanted to talk to her? "Why couldn't it be him?"

"Because the real Seiya Kou is dead."

Usagi jerked her shoulders back and blinked in confusion at the unexpected and jarring answer. "What?" Her voice caught in her throat, the word coming off breathy.

"Seiya Kou is dead," She repeated. "He died like, four or five years ago."

"You're messing with me…" Usagi accused with forced and hopeful laughter and shook her head fervently. She felt a rush of nauseous uneasiness in the pit of her stomach.

"I'm not messing with you," Minako calmly assured. "Honestly I thought you were messing with _me_... But, you seriously don't remember when he died? It was everywhere on the news."

"No… no, I don't." Within her denial, she kept shaking her head, her golden locks which hung from her odangos wavering in her motions. She was still too shocked at the information to fully believe it. "So then… who was that guy?"

"I guess some asshole fuckhead lookalike who pretends to be a dead celebrity to get in women's pants."

"But I mean… why would he trick me? I didn't even know who he was. Why would he waste time talking to me?"

"You're the exact perfect target—you didn't know who he was so you believed him."

"But why pick someone dead… if he was so famous…"

"Well when you look like only one famous person, you work with what you got, I guess." Minako threw her hands up alongside her shrug.

"But why would someone do that?" Usagi's mood descended from distress to dejection, and she instantly felt her whole shining fantasy of last night tarnish completely. The smiles, the jokes, the bearing of their souls… the whole encounter changed from shaking up her world to crumbling it.

"I don't know, Usagi."

"He just seemed so kind… There were so many times he could have made a move but he didn't. We were all alone on the roof, he walked me to a cab… he even took a sip of the wine before he handed it to me."

Minako broke the tense mood. "Wow, that's actually… kind of gross, but thoughtful."

"Exactly! This guy wasn't trying to hurt me."

"Then I guess he was a _ harmless _asshole fuckhead lookalike. Psychos tend to be really good at acting nice." She would not be swayed in giving the benefit of the doubt.

Near tears, Usagi took deep breaths in attempts to hold them back. She placed her right palm upon her eye as her fingers grasped her blonde bangs. Just how… _ why _did she so easily let him in? The feelings of stupidity and gullibility had now taken hold. Perhaps this whole revelation was divine punishment for her wandering eyes and mind. For allowing herself to be vulnerable in front of another man other than her husband.

"Are you okay?" Minako asked sincerely. The odango-head was acting more emotional than she anticipated.

"Yeah just… processing everything," She lowered her hand to wipe a bit of the salty discharge from her eyes with the back of her finger. "How did he die? How did Seiya die?"

"Uh… I don't quite remember. Like a heart attack or something. Here, let's go look it up." Minako took the initiative to walk over to Usagi and gingerly lead her into the living room where a laptop lay on the coffee table. She also ensured her Alka-Seltzer made the journey with her. Both women sat on the sofa while the hungover one searched his name and clicked on the first hit which opened a link directing them to his Wikipedia page.

Usagi's heart skipped a beat at what she read:

"_Seiya Kou (July 30, 1985 – June 30, 2006) was a musician, singer, songwriter, producer, and actor. He is notably known for being in the pop trio, "Three Lights" for the last five years of his life with his cousins Yaten and Taiki Kou. After his death in 2006, the remaining members of the band started a charity in his name titled, _ The Seiya Kou Foundation_, to raise funds for the fight against leukemia, which was the cause of his sudden stroke which led to his death. Its annual fundraiser has been held for the last three years at the Search Bar, the site of his death, and also owned by fellow band member, Taiki Kou." _

She skimmed through a chunk of the long webpage about his early days and career, stopping momentarily when she caught sight of a picture of the idol on the day of his death; he was wearing the same dark outfit from last night. Once Usagi began reading about his later years up until his death, the story sounded eerily familiar.

"_In late 2000 Seiya began dating former high school classmate, Kakyuu Kino, which lasted until her death in February 2006 due to a hit and run accident. Kino and Kou were having dinner at the Search Bar in the Roppongi district when a car struck her right outside the entrance. Kou recalls her death in a Stargaze interview: _

_ 'She died in my arms before the paramedics could get there. No one should ever have to go through that. No person should ever have to watch their lover die like that. I wouldn't wish that upon anyone. It changed my life.' _

_ Later, on June 30, 2006, Kou and the rest of the Three Lights were seen at the Search Bar for a promotional event of their new album. After complaining earlier in the day of a headache, he collapsed three hours later into the event. He was rushed to Aiiku hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival due to cerebral infarction. It was revealed in his autopsy that he had acute myeloid leukemia which caused the fatal stroke. He was cremated on July 5, 2006. He was 25 years old when he died." _

Unable to read on, with tears streaming down her face in a mixture of sympathy and shock, Usagi leaned back on the sofa speechless.

"I guess you didn't realize that last night was put on by _The_ _Seiya Kou Foundation_," Minako muttered.

"I don't believe it. I _ can't _ believe it."

"Usagi, don't beat yourself up. At least nothing bad happened."

"But it's just… so _ weird_, because I swear that was him!" With shakey adamance, the odango-head scrolled back up to bring his main picture into view. She stared at it for half a moment before tapping repeatedly on the screen over his face to drive her point home. "That was definitely him."

"Or… he was just a really good lookalike," Minako reasoned.

"No, but, I swear that's him. There was something about his eyes… they were so _blue _and piercing and kind. Those were his eyes last night, and those are the same eyes in that picture! You can't recreate that!"

"Then I don't know, Usagi," She was becoming exhausted trying to rationalize and explain every little thing still suffering within her hangover. At this point, she said whatever came to mind. "I guess you must've talked to his ghost or something."

"Shut up, Mina. Don't patronize me," Usagi chided as she wiped away a few fallen tears.

"Well, there's no other way to logically piece together what you're saying with fucking… _facts_." Minako's gestured at the laptop screen with Seiya's page still up.

"The guy I talked to last night was real," Usagi sounded vexed in her counter-argument. She began listing off her reasons with the help of her fingers. "As real as to leave me his autograph! As real as to spill Scotch all over me—"

"Where exactly did he spill on you?" She cut her off as she could only recall the birthday outfit looking crisp and clean throughout the night.

"Everywhere! My dress, my jacket, my shoes, everything was practically ruined. Did you not see the stains?"

"In all honesty, Usagi," Minako grimaced, inwardly cursing herself for answering with a response which will undoubtedly extend the exhausting conversation. But she was also determined to be right. "I didn't."

"Y'know what, come with me! I'm going to show you." Usagi stood up abruptly and grabbed Minako's hand to coax her to follow her. The hungover woman groaned and remained dead weight to make it harder on the crazy-talking blonde, already regretting her enabling response.

"Usagi, do we really—?"

"Yes! Get up!" She demanded and tugged harder on the extremity in efforts to help Minako stand. Once that was accomplished, the odango-head began power walking on her own toward the master bedroom.

Minako, with Alka-Seltzer still in hand, threw her head back with a sigh as she started to saunter behind when she heard her cell phone ringtone from the kitchen. Though initially torn between following Usagi and answering it, she realized the caller was probably someone with news on Rei's whereabouts.

"Usagi, I'll be right there!"

She heard Minako but didn't respond, for she was too fixated on finding last night's dress and proving to her skeptic of a friend that she talked to the real Seiya Kou. As real as he could be to spill on her and for the alcohol to stain her blouse. She was not crazy. She knew she was not crazy!

Making it to her closet, Usagi hurriedly flipped on the light switch and dropped to her knees to begin digging through her dirty laundry from the week, which would usually end up on the carpeted floor. It took a not even a half moment of searching when she found that little black dress. Though simple, it was versatile enough to be appropriate for an evening wedding as well as any cocktail event. She and Minako, while under the influence, were shopping for Mamoru's birthday gift when they stumbled upon it as they were passing by. She was beside herself when she realized the store only had one left, which just so happened to be in her size; she was overjoyed when the register rang it up as thirty percent off; she was enraged when she realized it was ruined by a stranger armed with a glass of Scotch;

And she was in stifling disbelief when she saw it was now as clean as the day she bought it.

Usagi kept staring at the dress as if the stains were to reappear if she willed hard enough. She even brought it up to her face to sniff for any remnants of liquor stench, but her senses only picked up on the faint smell of chemicals from the last time she took it to the cleaners. No matter how hard she thought, or how close she put it to her nose, the stains were gone… as if they were not there in the first place.

She broke her focus from the clothing item to watch Minako solemnly walking into the bedroom, looking pale in the face with a distraught expression. Her fizzy water notably left behind.

"They found Rei."

Usagi gulped, knowing the look on her face indicated she didn't receive good news. "Where is she?"

"She was in a car accident last night. The cab lost control and ran head-on into a bus. She's in critical condition." Minako took in a breath. "She's not doing well."

Receiving the grave report became too much for Usagi to contain the morning's worth of emotions. She began to hyperventilate as she felt a rush of numbness throughout her whole body. A myriad of silent tears welled up and began to fall down her cheeks involuntarily. As soon as one made it to her chin, another was already on its way down from her eye.

Minako strode over to Usagi in the closet and sat on her knees beside her, putting a gentle hand on the crying blonde's shoulder. The touch wasn't really in efforts to calm her, but more of a warning to brace herself.

"I don't mean to bring this up… but it's too… _ strange_… not to. Didn't you say you almost left with her?"

The odango-head looked to her friend with red eyes. "I was only five steps away from getting into the cab. Because he spilled on me, I didn't go, and she left without me." There was more heavy breathing which felt as out of control as the sobs. She buried her wet, winded face into the dress.

"And the stains?" Minako shifted the conversation on the black dress. The only thing it was now stained with was the odango-head's tears.

Usagi came up for air, sardonically laughing. "Mina, I swear to you, I swear he spilled on me." Laughing immediately turned into crying from only one sniffle. "I _felt _it. I remember it was so cold and wet. I felt the squishiness in my shoes. And we were like, even joking about the stains like, _ 'Oh, it's art. Gabbana is a dick.'_"

Minako snorted at the slight digression.

The emotional blonde continued. "I was going with her to meet up with Mamo-chan. Would I have really missed that opportunity with him on imaginary Scotch?"

"He ended up canceling on you anyway, right?"

More chuckles erupted from Usagi. "Yeah, I guess it didn't matter." She sniffled as she rubbed her nose with the back of her hand. "Did they say which hospital Rei went to?"

"She's at Aiiku Hospital."

"That's where Mamo-chan works. I wonder if he can tell us anything on her," Usagi was beginning to calm down, and unconsciously rubbed her thumb over the tear splatters on the dress. "I'll text him later and ask."

Minako gulped, the first one to begin to put the pieces together. Despite her relatively slow motor functions, her brain was able to fully comprehend all the unworldly connections at play. She straightened up and grabbed Usagi's other shoulder to look deep into her eyes.

"Usagi, Mamoru is a _ trauma _surgeon," she firmly reminded. "He's called on deck to see a person after they've been in a bad accident. Do you understand what happened?"

The odango-head looked at Minako with a blank expression, perhaps afraid to join in on the realization.

The red-bowed woman nearly shook her. "The accident which made him cancel on you was _ Rei's_!"

Now it clicked.

_ ~"There's been a horrible accident just a few minutes ago…" _

"_No one should ever have to go through that. No person should ever have to watch their lover die like that. I wouldn't wish that upon anyone."~ _

The memory of both the men's statement from the previous night was enough for Usagi to almost faint, though luckily Minako still had a grip on her shoulders to hold her upright. Had she been in that cab with Rei, she would have been rushed to the same hospital where Mamoru worked, and he would have had to see…

"Usagi, this is… this is creepy enough for me to believe it." Minako released her hands from her as she steadily shook her head in fascination. A smile formed on her face as it now all began made sense. "This just seems like too much of a coincidence. I know it was part of its intrigue, and rumored for the Search Bar to be haunted but—"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Usagi shook her head briskly and held up a hand to demand silence from her friend. "Mina, don't start with more of that ghost talk."

The request was politely ignored.

"I mean, I thought it was only a rumor, that people were just being stupid and superstitious for believing it." Every word spoken became more intense than the previous one. "But it's the _only _thing that can explain it!

"_No_, it's not." Annoyance now painted Usagi's expression.

"How else can you explain the non-existent stains and me not seeing him? C'mon, Usagi, you know if I would have seen him, I would have pushed you off that roof. No question. How did he happen to spill on you _ right _ before you were to get into a cab that was fated to crash, and you would have been rushed to the exact hospital where Mamoru works and—oh yeah—you would have more than likely died under his watch?"

Usagi squinted her eyes shut and shook her head in denial. The hyperventilation returned tenfold. "Please stop talking, Mina… you're scaring me."

"_I'm _scaring _you_? _ You're _ the one talking to dead people!" She pointed a finger for further emphasis.

"And maybe I'm wrong! Maybe it _ was _ some asshole fuckhead lookalike and I _ am _ crazy!"

"But the _ stains_!" Minako grabbed a part of the dress. "You said you swear he spilled on you, but there's nothing. It was total ghost Scotch! Somehow he's able to conjure it from the spirit world to trick you into thinking it's real. He saved your life!"

"Mina, stop!" Usagi covered her face, her tears and whimpers returning. The paranormal interpretations were bringing her to the cusp of a panic attack.

She took in a breath to bring herself down a notch from her passionate theories. Grabbing for her friend's hands revealed a reddened and tear-stained face, desperate for an explanation but also pleading to forget all about this.

"I'm sorry, Usagi," Minako squeezed her friend's hands in comfort. "I don't mean to scare you. I'm just trying to make sense of it."

"It's just… so scary to think about. That I talked to some ghost all night. How did he know the cab would crash? How would he know Mamo-chan works at that hospital?"

"That's the same hospital he was rushed to when he had his stroke. Maybe he has some connection with it?" She shrugged. "Maybe he has some crazy ghost powers and can read minds."

"Pfft, if he could do that, he would have taken me right on the roof." Usagi was past the point of caring about Minako's judgment. Luckily though, she chuckled at the response.

"Well, he did give you his number, right?" She widened her blue eyes.

It only took a half-second of staring at each other before they both scrambled to stand up and bolt back to the kitchen where the pad was still laying on the island, and still revealing Seiya Kou's scribble and phone number. Both cell phones and Minako's purse were also haphazardly placed about on the marble countertop.

Minako examined the signature closely. "It looks pretty legit…"

"How is it that _ this _ made it through, y'know?" Usagi was nearly out of breath from the adrenaline. "Like how come the stains disappeared, but not this?"

Minako studied the autograph for a bit while also considering Usagi's questions. With all the power of her leftover brain cells, her face lit up when she deduced an explanation.

"Well, this is your pen and pad, right? Maybe because it's part of _ this _ world, not his, the evidence is left behind."

The recollection of shivering at his taking of her pen and notepad sent more chills down Usagi's spine. She stared distantly into the dark countertop.

"Did you read what was written out by this phone number?" Minako questioned.

The odango-head shook her head 'yes,' still in a pensive, hypnotic trance. "I don't know what he means by it."

"It says, 'because Yaten is such a reclusive ass.' Did you mention to him we've been trying to get an interview out of Yaten for years since Seiya's death?"

"No. He just heard you complaining about Arisu when we were on the roof."

The red-bowed woman snorted. "Yaten has been harder to get a hold of than the Pope. Not even his publicist will disclose his whereabouts, and he has declined every single interview from every single magazine. Do you know what this means?"

Usagi gave her friend a blank stare.

Minako continued on. "If this is, in fact, Yaten's number, I am a thousand percent sure that you talked to Seiya Kou's ghost." She dropped the notepad on the island and put her thumbs to work on her phone. "Let me make sure this isn't the number to the restaurant. Just in case I'm wrong... which, _I'm not_, but..."

A few moments later, Minako's eyes were darting back and forth between her phone and the pad. She eventually nodded her head with a small smile.

"Not the same." The red-bowed woman pushed Usagi's own phone closer to her. "Call it."

All she could do was stare dauntingly at the piece of technology Minako slid toward her. What she implied made her feel way better about herself than a psycho impersonator with a perverted ambition. But a ghost? Really? Was there really no other explanation? The thought of spending half a night talking with some unworldly entity sounded superstitious and surreal, on top of the fact it just so happened he saved her from dying in her husband's presence. She wanted to believe so badly it was some unnatural coincidence. But her mind would go back to asking how Minako didn't see him on the roof with her, or how the dark Scotch stains disappeared completely from her dress, or how Seiya basically promised he didn't wish for anyone to go through the pain of seeing a loved one die; a pain which Mamoru somehow avoided that night.

_ ~"Don't a lot of weird things happen there?" _

"_It just wasn't meant to be…" _

_ "The wind's strong tonight." _

"_Don't give up… you'll always have another birthday." _

"_You'll always have another birthday."~ _

There was only one way to find out.

Dialing the numbers and then enabling the speaker function, the women held their breaths as they leaned in. Four loud rings played before someone picked up on the other line.

"Usagi Chiba?"

* * *

**End.**

**{ i.l.y.a }**


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